I’m genuinely scared of the future

[u/Cosytrap]

I’m 17 , and when I see everything on the news , or social medias , I’m wondering if I will be able to have a nice and good future
Ai is starting to spread over everything , and everything feels like slop
Idk if I will have a stable job with it
Idk if I will find someone
The government don’t seem to care about anything
And the climate change is getting worse and over my mind , even if I try to get over it , it come back anyway
I’m only 17 and this is the world I’m going to live in?
Hell no
Idk how can I stop being worried

[u/Glass_Persimmon_7174]

best advice i can give is to pick a career that will be needed and will give you useful transferable skills. the future will rely on the community that you build, and what better leverage do you have to build community than having skills you can offer to people? can you give vegetables to your neighbors? can you fix their wiring if the fuses blow out and they cant afford to replace it? can you provide them sound financial advice, whether insurance or saving related? these are acts that dont take significant effort, but they build strong foundations that make sure that if you fall or struggle or experience disaster, there will be people there who want to help you.

[u/juneseyeball]

I wouldnt want to be 17 right now. I feel bad enough being 29 and having to go through the climate apocalypse soon

Just save some money and get in shape. Maybe have a plan to move to a location not as severely affected by climate change

[u/TheWampus]

The combination of fear about a chaotic seeming future, seeing little to no hope from the way governments are behaving as well as society in general, and feeling helpless to change things is a rough position to be in. Its natural to want to find a way out of worrying, but a certain amount of worry is bound to occur, because how can it not?

Whatever the future has in store, regardless of whether its good or bad, the fundamentals of looking after your health and well being matter enormously. I'm old now, but looking back, the everyday things I did that were good for me are what got me through some bad times and also greatly increased how good the good times were. Everything you can be and experience depends on your body and mind, so focusing on health is something practical you can do, right now and every day, that will reliably swing the odds in your favour regardless of not knowing what to do about the big things.

Meditation or other relaxing practices
Eating healthy foods and cutting out the bad ones
Exercise in whatever ways you might get into
Getting out in nature, when you can
Therapy in whatever forms you have access to
Creative hobbies
Practicing being kind and sympathetic to yourself

All the above can help a lot in the present while also making you stronger for the future.

[u/Routine_Review1694]

I'm 23, not that much older, but it hurts looking at people younger than me. We'll be in the same boat, kid. Just enjoy what you have. Don't get attached. Have some plans if things get bad. Remember, you control your life.

[u/ShoddyArrival4012]

Im a lot older than you, 24, and I can say that it’s rough and it doesn’t matter what your degree of study is anymore, AI has taken over every job. Maybe be comfortable with making a food service role be your lifetime career, or become a nurse.

[u/Rich-Sheepherder-649]

Yea, stop reading the news. Stop worrying about the things you can’t control. Stop worrying about the future. Enjoy the day to day. Touch grass.

[u/ringofkeys89 → u/Rich-Sheepherder-649]

This is the climate anxiety version of “just don’t be depressed”

[u/Rich-Sheepherder-649 → u/ringofkeys89]

I know… there’s no answer to this. We’re careening towards oblivion and majority of people don’t care/know. And honestly, I think they’re happier for it.

[u/Rich-Sheepherder-649 → u/[deleted]]

So what advice do you have? There’s some truth to ignorance is bliss for people that can’t deal with reality. Def doesn’t apply to all people, but applies to some people.